


Changes

by ThirtySixSaveFiles



Series: Taking What Comes [3]
Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: A/B/O, M/M, Unhealthy Relationships, predatory behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 02:58:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8560969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirtySixSaveFiles/pseuds/ThirtySixSaveFiles
Summary: Omega had always been sort of an abstract concept for Rhys - but it's suddenly becoming a lot less abstract.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to [TheSpaceCoyote](http://thethespacecoyote.tumblr.com) for faithfully encouraging this au and to [Jillus](http://jilldrawblog.tumblr.com) for holding my hand through writing it.

Rhys paces the ground floor of Jack’s house, unable to place exactly the source of his upset.

He’s been living with Jack for several months now, and it’s times like these that he misses having Vaughn nearby. Vaughn is always good at putting things in perspective, but Vaughn is set up in his own place, across the river; the offer to move from the drab little room Rhys and Vaughn shared to Handsome Jack’s home had been extended to Rhys and Rhys alone.

“I need my best knifeman close by,” Jack had said, chucking Rhys under the chin. “Sound good to you, kiddo?”

It sounded _great_ to Rhys, but Vaughn hadn’t been at all happy about it when Rhys had told him later. Rhys could tell by the way Vaughn’s eyes tightened and his mouth turned down that Vaughn had _opinions_ about this move, but all he had done was make Rhys promise to be careful. Rhys had agreed easily, bemused - what could hurt him with Handsome Jack around? Vaughn hadn’t seemed entirely convinced, but he had let it go without further comment.

Now, though. Now Rhys is on edge and he doesn’t know _why_ and he wishes Vaughn were here to settle him down. He wishes _Jack_ were here; although Jack’s presence lately has been making Rhys’ pulse pick up as well. He doesn’t understand it, but he’s grown to like it, the way things seem brighter, more interesting, when Jack’s around.

He’s picked up his jacket and headed for the front door with the vague intention of seeking Vaughn out, but just as Rhys passes the grand staircase he hears a moan floating down from upstairs. He stops short, ears straining - he had thought he was alone in the house, Jack out on business - but now that he concentrates he can hear muffled sounds from the second floor.

Rhys puts his jacket down slowly, suddenly uncertain. Jack hadn’t said anything about bringing business home with him - he rarely does, but sometimes Jack likes that personal touch - at least, he hadn’t to Rhys, and if this was something he wanted Rhys involved with, he would have said so. Rhys should probably pick his jacket back up, head out to find Vaughn, and come back when this is all done.

Instead he puts one foot on the staircase, then another.

Halfway up the scent hits him, and he reels for a moment, clutching the banister. It’s - it’s not a _scent_ , exactly, but he’s definitely smelling _something_ . He’s been more sensitive to smells lately; he never used to associate smells with feelings before, but suddenly Vaughn smells like _safety_ , some of Jack’s men smell like _danger_ , and Jack himself -

Rhys breathes in deliberately and realizes that part of what he’s smelling is _Jack_ : _warmth_ and _spice_ and _gunsmoke_ . Those words don’t really do it justice, but it’s the best Rhys can do in the moment, with the smell settling heavily in his lungs along with a strange _foreign_ scent. Rhys climbs the rest of the stairs in a haze, and as he does the muffled moans get louder. When he crests the top of the staircase a low groan accompanies them and all of a sudden Rhys realizes what he’s hearing.

Rhys isn’t - Jack has needs as an alpha, obviously. Rhys knows that, even if, as an omega who hasn’t presented yet, he doesn’t quite _understand_ it. It’s one thing to know about alphas and omegas, however, and quite another to be presented with the sounds and _smells_ in his own - in _Jack’s_ house, Rhys reminds himself. This is Jack’s house, and he can - he can sleep with whomever he likes. Obviously. There’s no reason at all for Rhys’s stomach to be balling up, for him to be standing frozen on the threshold of the second floor, listening for Jack’s voice as he fucks another omega.

There’s a sudden wail from behind the closed doors of Jack’s bedroom, accompanied by a low growl, and Rhys feels his face heat. He tells himself he’s going to leave, going to head back downstairs, out of the house entirely, maybe, but somehow his feet won’t obey him. He can feel the minutes ticking by but he feels like he’s in some sort of fever dream, like a passenger in his own body as Jack’s scent and and the smell of a stranger swirl around him and settle in his lungs.

It feels like a lifetime later, but he’s still standing there when Jack opens the door to his bedroom, hair in disarray, shirt open and pants loosely slung around his hips. In the dim light behind him Rhys can just barely see the shape of the other omega curled up in Jack’s sheets. The scent of sex is stronger than ever, and he inhales sharply as if that will help him sort out the swirling in his chest.

Jack looks up at the sound, and when he catches sight of Rhys a grin slides across his face. It’s lazier, more relaxed than Rhys is used to seeing on him, and there’s a sharp pinch of - of _something_ in Rhys’ stomach.

Jack shuts the door behind him, cutting the interlo- the _other omega_ off from Rhys’ sight. He cocks his head at Rhys.

“You feeling alright, kiddo? Something bothering you?” There’s something behind Jack’s eyes that Rhys doesn’t know how to interpret, and suddenly he’s not sure of the right answer at all, so he doesn’t say anything. He’s not sure how he would explain what he’s feeling, anyway. It can’t be _jealousy_ , he has no place to feel jealous, no right; but he can’t help the unsettled prickling along his skin or the sick curl in his stomach.

Jack must be able to read something off of his face because he nods further down the hall, toward his study, and when he turns Rhys falls in behind him. It’s easy to follow Jack’s lead - it always has been - and Rhys lengthens his stride, eager to close the gap between them. Jack pushes the doors open and heads for his chair, settling in with a sigh. He gestures Rhys over when Rhys hesitates in the doorway, and Rhys hurries over, eager for that closeness if Jack will allow it.

Jack draws him in and Rhys settles into Jack’s lap, grateful for this spot of normalcy amidst the strangeness of the afternoon. Jack slides a hand up Rhys’ back, tracing his fingers over Rhys’ neck, and Rhys shivers.

“Omega pheromones got you all riled up, huh?” Rhys feels himself turning redder, shifting uncomfortably, but Jack just laughs. “Figures you’d be one of the territorial ones.”

Before Rhys can get his hopes up too high about _territorial_ , Jack continues: “You probably never got much of the alphas and omegas talk, did you?” Rhys shakes his head hesitantly and Jack nods. “Thought so. You’ve been awful jumpy lately, sweetheart - no, don’t frown about it,” he says when Rhys does. “Your body’s changing, that’s all, and getting a good shot of those pheromones for the first time will turn anybody’s head.” He puts a hand on the back of Rhys’ head, pulling him down until Rhys’ face is resting in the crook of Jack’s neck. “There, breathe deep. Smell that?”

Rhys does. This close he realizes he can smell the other omega _on Jack’s skin_ , and he can barely stop the growl forming in his chest. He shifts closer, instead, trying to chase that maddening scent away, and Jack chuckles and wraps an arm around Rhys’ hip, pulling him close.

“That’s the smell of satisfied omega. You know what heats are, right?” Rhys nods into Jack’s neck, unwilling to lift his head. He can smell their scents intermingling, chasing the smell of the other omega away. “Good. Then you know why it’s so important to have an alpha around.”

This is less familiar territory. Rhys has heard that heats are survivable - not fun, but survivable - without an alpha, but there aren’t a lot of omegas among Jack’s people so most of what he’s heard has been alphas and even betas bragging about fucking an omega in heat. Privately he’s not sure what there is to brag about; from what he understands, heats make _anyone_ look attractive.

His silence must communicate that uncertainty to Jack because Jack’s grip on him tightens. “Looks like it’s a good thing we’re having this talk, hmm? Your first heat is coming soon.” Jack presses his nose into Rhys’ hair and inhales. Rhys shivers. “I can smell it on you. You’re going to need an alpha to get you through it - I’ve seen omegas in heat without alphas to take care of them, and let me tell you, sweetheart, it’s not pretty. Crying, begging, out of your mind with need -” Rhys goes cold at Jack’s matter-of-fact description “- that’s not what I want for you. That’s not what _you_ want, is it?”

Rhys shakes his head, pressing himself closer to Jack’s chest. He can feel Jack’s heartbeat and it’s calming, soothing. He hadn’t thought much about his first heat at all - it was always one of those things that he knew was _going_ to happen to him, eventually, but it didn’t seem _real._

With the scent of another omega’s sweat drying on Jack’s skin, it suddenly seems very real indeed.

“I thought not,” Jack says, hand warm on Rhys’ knee. “That’s why it’s important to have a strong alpha around. You’re no ordinary omega, I’ll give you that, but even you can’t fight your biology. Your body wants to be claimed, that’s what it was _made_ for - and if you don’t make a decision about who it’ll be beforehand that choice will be taken away from you.”

“Just think about it,” Jack murmurs into Rhys’ hairline. “Think about who you want there when you’re at your most helpless, your most vulnerable. When everything else has been stripped away.”

Rhys feels like he’s in freefall, and his hand comes up to clutch at Jack’s shirt as if that will tether him.

Jack presses a kiss to Rhys’ temple and moves to stand. Rhys slides off his lap onto shaky legs. Jack appears not to notice.

“Give it some thought, sweetheart.” Jack slides his hands over Rhys’ shoulders and winks; normally that gesture would flood Rhys with warmth, but now he just feels cold. “You don’t have much time left.” He squeezes Rhys’ shoulder one last time and then heads out of the study, leaving Rhys standing stock still behind him. Distantly Rhys hears the door to Jack’s bedroom open and shut down the hall, and he can picture vividly Jack curling up around the other omega waiting in his sheets, the omega reaching sleepily up to touch Jack’s face -

Rhys doesn’t know what an oncoming heat feels like, but Jack had said he didn’t have much time left, and he’s felt so strange in his own skin lately - he wonders long _not much time_ is supposed to be.

Rhys can still smell Jack on his skin, and it smells like _home_.

Rhys deliberately smooths his hand down his thigh. He’s not sure how he’s going to accomplish this; not sure he can work up the nerve to _ask_. Jack’s words have left him more shaken than he’d like to admit - but also more determined.

 _Your body wants to be claimed_ , Jack had said. Well, there’s no one with a stronger claim on Rhys than Jack, is there?

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me at [ThirtySixSaveFiles](http://thirtysixsavefiles.tumblr.com) on Tumblr!


End file.
